Windmill.



No. 650,032. Patented May 22, I900.

A. E. BENSON.

WINDMILL.

(Application filed Nov. 20, 1899.) (NmMndeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

we Norms PETERS co.. Puoraumo. wasnmmun, n. c.

NI'VTEDT STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR EDGAR BENSON, OF HALL COUNTY, TEXAS;

WINDMILL.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N6. 650,032, dated May 22, 1900'. Application filed. November 20, 1299. Serial no. 787,673. (No swan.)

sleeve 4;, a series of radial spokes 5, and inner and outer concentric rings 6 and 7, connecting the spokes and provided with bearings for the'reception of the inner and outer pivots Sand 9 of the bladesB. The blades 3 taper longitudinally and are Wedge-shaped in cross-section, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, and while they may be constructed of any suitable ma terial they are preferably composed of sides 10, of sheet metal, and inner and outer transversely-disposed tapering bars 11 and 12, se- A cured to and interposed between the sides M 10, which are arranged at an'ansz'le to each tomatically, so that it will run at a uniform speed in high variable winds and will not be injured by the same. I

The invention consists in theconstruetion and novel combination and arrangement ofv parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of a windmill constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective View of a portion of the wind-wheel, illustrating the construction of the governor. Fig. 4 is a similar View illustrating the manner of mounting one of the blades. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View illustrating the manner of mounting the spring for closing the blades of the wind-wheel. tional views illustrating the constructiomof the blades.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the draw- 11105.

i designates a wind-wheel mounted on a horizontal wind-wheel shaft 2 and comprising a frame and an annular series of pivoted or hinged blades 3, which are adapted to be automatically opened and closed, as hereinafter described, to present more or less fan-surface to the wind according to'the force of the latter, whereby the speed of the windmill is regulated and rendered uniform. The frame of the wind-wheel. comprises a central hub or Figs. 6 and 7 are secpart to be operated.

The crank 15 is designed to be arranged at the center of the tower, and as the Windwheel is located at one side of the same, as illustrated in Fig. 1- of the accompanying drawings, it will be apparent that it will always be in position to be operated upon by the wind, and itis unnecessary to employ a vane to effect thisresult. The blades are centrally pivoted and their rear or outer portions are connected by links 17 with the rim 18 of a wheel 19, mounted on the wind-Wheel shaft at the outer or rear side of the wind-wheel and capable of a limited movement independcut thereof, whereby it is adapted to swing the blades simultaneously to open' and close them. The wheel 19, which consists of the rim 18, spokes 20, and a hub or sleeve 21, is provided at its periphery or rim with ananr nular flange 22, provided at-intervals with perforations to receive the outer ends of the links 17, which'are bent to form pivots 23. The pivots 23 are preferably threaded and engaged by nuts 24, which are arranged on' 3 7 v opened to present less fansurface to the the inner face of the-peripheral flange 22,-"as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.

The governor-wheel 19 is actuated to open the blades by governor-weights 25, arranged at the periphery of the wind-wheel andpreterably consisting of balls fixed to theout'er ends of radial rods 26, which extend through guide-openings 27 of the outer ring 7. -Theinner ends of the radial rods are connected to arms 28 of bell-crank levers 29, which have their other arms 30- connected by links .31; with the governor-wheel 19. The bell-lcra'lik levers have central pivotal portions arranged in suitable bearing-openings of the spokes,

adjacent to the inner ring 6 of the wind-wheel I a and at' points between t-h esa-id innerring and rate of speed by-a'spring 32; but-when-th'e force'of the'wind exceeds the "power-of "the spring the increased speed of thewind-wheel wil-loperate to throw the governor-weights outward, whereby the blades 3'will' ibe wind. As the force ofthe wind decreases the blades will be gradually closed,- and it will be apparent that by this-construction the' 'wind-mill-will be caused to operate at a unitormspeed. j p

The outward movement of the radial-rods 26*andth'e governor-weights 25 swings the i f the movem ent is sufiicient, will arrange-the blades i-n a plane at right angles to thatof in-thee-pposite direction to closethe-bladesr {The spring 32 consistsof a central 'loop- 33 the frame of the wind-wheel,- so that no fansurf'aee will then be presented to the? wind,

and-the spring operates to moveth'e wheel19 andppp'ositecoils- 34 and 35,arr'an'g'ed "at the innerfand outer sides of the governor-wheel anddisposed on the hub-off the same; The

j in'rrer endfidof the spring terminates'ina hoek wh-ichengages one of the -spokesof the wind-wheel; but it may be connected-:with

the la-tterin any other suitable manner.- The ou tenend '37 of thesprin g is secured to a 001* liar--38 by 'aserew'or 'other suitable fa'steni-n g 40-,- extending -inward from its spokes, ar-r ranged parallel with the wind-wheelsh a'ft,;and extending between and adapted't'o engage the.

spokes ot thewindwheel 'to form stops for li-mitin g the movement of the governor-wheel.

The movement of the governor-wheelris lim' ited to preventt-he blades in opening from swinging past a position perpendicular to the plane of the frame of the wind-wheel.

It will be seen that the windmill is simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction and-possesses great strength and dura-' bility and that the governor mechanism is positive and reliable in operation and is adapted to operate the pivoted blades automatically to present more or less fan-surface ,to the-wind, andthereby-control the speed of the wind-wheel and render the same uniform; A! "Changes inthe :for-m', proportion, size, and the minor details of construction within the scope of the appendedclaimsmay be're'sorted to without departingfrom theIspiri-t or sacrr ficing any of the advantagesof this i'nvenition.

What is'claimedii V v 1. In awind-mi-ll, the cgmbi of a wind-wheel provided with'spohes andhaving inner and outer rings-fi a-nd 7 ,bladespivot ally mounted on the rings and located be tween the same, a governor-wheel arranged at oneside of the wind-wheehandcapabl'e of a limited rotary *mov-emernt independent of the same,-,a=sprin g connecting-the said wheels, an arm arranged parallelwith th-e'wf i nd-wheel sh'a-ft and rigidly-mounted on the governor wheel and "extendingbetween "the adjacent spokes of thewi-nd-"wheel at aapeintbetween the hub thereof and the inner ring-6'and-lim= iting thei-ndependent :mo'vement' of the said .1 governor-wheel; rock-shafts-extending trans versely 0f the wind wheel andfijclrrnaled thereon and prov-idedat their ends-w-ith arms arranged parallel-withthe plane of the windwheeland at opposite-sidesofthelatter,-'the' rear ends or portions of the blades in "the div rection of thepivots or in'a direction'w-h'ich,

arms a-tcne-siide of the wind w-heel'beingcon nectedwithth'e governor-wheel, weights con nected' withthe :other "armsof the" rock-shaft, and'connections between the governorewheel and the -pivoted' blades, su bst-ant-ial-lyasf described.

thereon, said rock-shaftbeingprovided-atits ends with armsr'located "at oppositesides of the wind-wheel and arranged to swing in planes parallel with the latter, onefl-of the arms *being' connected with the-governorwheel, a" sliding rod mount-ed on the: :windwheel-and connected with the other arm,a weightfor actuating the sliding-rod, andc'onnections betweenthe governor-wheel-:and the pivoted blades, substantially as described.

In a windmill, a wind-wheel provided jw-ith blades each composed of two sheetrmetal sides tapering toward their inner ends and arranged at an angle to each other, theinner and outer tapering or Wedge-shaped transmy own I have hereto affixed my signature in verse bars interposed between the sides and the presence of two witnesses.

secured to the same and a rod located between the sheet-metal sides and passing ARTHUR EDGAR BENSON 5 through the transverse bars and forming piv- Witnesses:

ots, substantially as described. J. B. MOCLELLAND,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as O. J. LEWIS. 

